Our guest this morning is Ron Bishop, who is the mayor of Wolfon.
Welcome, Mr. Mayor.
Hey, Bob, how you
doing today?
Good.
Good.
Got my voting in last week.
I did the in-person absentee voting.
I knew it was going to be a busy day today, so.
But well, that's a nice thing about it when you vote early.
You don't have to try to remember if something comes up It's already in the bank and collecting just
as a yeah, I still like to do it today of elections But every once in a while, I'll do the absentee thing.
So anyway, yeah, just a reminder for folks to get out there and vote today, but All right, where do you want to start?
A lot of stuff going on and will pond lately Looking at your latest column
You had a couple of complaints you were looking into.
Soybeans generating a smell or more upon, or as some folks would say, the smell of money, right?
Yes, it's one of those things.
There's opinions all over the map.
One of the reasons I wrote the column is there's a couple of folks who are very upset about the order that is created by the roasting of the soybeans at the United Co-op facility.
And so I wrote, I had responded and said, well, I also have a lot of people who call me that really like the smell and other people who say it's the smell of money.
There's a wide variety of opinions.
And I don't think they believe me that people actually like the smell.
Well, if you read the comment section from that column a couple of weeks ago, there's a lot of opinions all over the map from people who hate the smell and are starting to move out of the city because of it, the people who love the smell, because it smells like popcorn, the people who look at it as a practical thing.
There's a given taking everything and it's the smell of money.
It's it's the largest tax contributing taxpayer in the community It's basically paying for the shaler drive extension So there's just there's a lot to it, but we have had meetings with united like they're aware of the situation I think there's ways we can at least Bring the smell down and if we can do that that would be a win-win
How is the shaler drive extension going?
It's under construction now.
I checked it out yesterday.
The water, the sewer lines were out there.
They started moving dirt.
I think once it goes, it's going to go pretty quick.
And along with the Shaylor Drive extension, we approved a second set of apartment complexes.
It'll be along Shaylor Drive.
And into the north of that, we have 49 single family residential units coming into Waupon.
So we have a housing development, some more apartments out there.
It's the growing part of the city.
Well, PON has a housing shortage and anything we can do to help, to help with the housing situation here.
We're trying to be pretty proactive and do it.
Okay, one of the other things that you commented on is the use of flock cameras in PON.
Some people are laboring under misapprehension about what they're actually being used for, but I'll let you comment on that.
Well, that's exactly right.
The flock camera takes a picture of a license plate.
Stores it and that's like a server PD for 30 days and then it gets deleted What law enforcement likes to have flock cameras because of there's a particular vehicle They're looking for and they have a good reason to be looking for the vehicle They could enter in the license plate information and see if it hits on one of the flock cameras and they have an idea where that car is There's misnomers and social media stuff out there that we can hear what you're talking about We can't that it's scanning your phone.
It's not that we're hacking your Bluetooth.
We're not
It's a $3,000 camera that takes pictures of license plates and stores it for 30 days.
That's all it is.
I met with the police department yesterday.
They showed me the whole process on how to do a flock hit, if you will.
You have to have a case number, a license plate, and you have to have a description as to why you're looking for the vehicle.
That thing gets audited at least once a month by our detective.
If anyone's using the system, they have to have a really good reason to do it.
It's just not true that we have staff looking at these cameras.
I don't care how often you're going to QuickTrip or something.
The camera has been used to help in WPON.
It's been used recently to help catch people who had burglarized the business in town.
And we also used it to help catch someone who was very suicidal and not in a good place.
Thanks to the hit on the clock camera, WPON PD found the man quicker and took him to get him some help and may have very much saved a life.
Also, just recently in the state of Ohio, they used a flat camera to find an eight-year-old kidnapped girl.
So there's a lot of upside to it.
I think people's concerns are valid in the sense we don't need big brother listening in on everything.
But it's not how we're using it in WAPA.
We've got procedures in place.
And it's just another tool for law enforcement to help catch bad guys and keep people safe.
So in that sense, I'm all for it.
Okay.
Quite a few people from
Wapan shipped in to provide relief for the people that were hit by the EF-3 tornado in Manasha.
Maybe you can tell us a little bit about that.
I know you had a couple of firefighters go there.
We did.
I think we had four, I think four.
It might have been six firefighters who went up the initial day of the storm because they needed ATV, UTV help because the streets were closed.
We had several crews from Wapan Utilities who were up there for over a week to help restore power.
menasha utilities is a public power community just like willpon and we try to help each other out and then a couple of local businesses were also up there helping with clean up but both friends nursery and torres tree service had gone up to help and um... it's just you know part of it was there was a willpon connection uh... couple of friends of mine live on that island there they got hit by the tornado their house is still standing but it took pretty much it took some damage but just two blocks from them everything is gone
So there was a little bit of a Lopon connection there, which is one of the reasons some local Lopon visitors were helping out.
But it's kind of what you do in Wisconsin, you know, if somebody has a storm roll through their city and it's a mess, everyone else has what they can do to pitch pitch in and help out says, you know, life's short, we've got to help each other.
Yeah, I can recall walking through Lopon after a tornado went through there, the earlier part of this century.
So no stranger to that kind of weather.
No in my lifetime I just turned 47 two days ago And I can remember two different tornadoes affecting upon pretty significantly the one in 2004 and the one in 2018 Neither one of them that we have a massive tornado on the ground that destroyed the city But both of them we had tornado tornadoes in the area and strong winds and lots of damage So they're nothing to screw around with they're dangerous
All right
Well, Pond, known as the City of Sculptures, I believe some concrete was being poured at Minima Fields for the latest edition.
Tell us about that, if you would, please.
Yeah, so we've been adding to our sculpture collection, which is something that we're all really excited to be doing, because you're right, we are the City of Sculpture, and we're trying to capitalize off of that.
And so the latest one is out at Minima Field.
That's where the girls' softball complexes, and it's a sculpture of Mamie Redmond.
who is somewhat known from the movie A League of Their Own starring Tom Hanks.
And she was a professional female baseball player in that World War II era as is portrayed in the movie.
And so she's a upon native.
She was born here.
I think she's buried here too, because I know they portrayed her at the cemetery walk in the past.
So that's the local connection.
Because as we're adding sculptures, we're not just
adding random pieces of art.
We want them to have something to do with WPON or WPON Connection.
So we've added Manny Rendon, who was a professional baseball player.
She's in the Hall of Fame.
She was from WPON.
We've added a girl flying a kite because the Shader Company made a lot of money for a long time making kites.
And so we're doing stuff like that to keep our momentum going as Wisconsin City of Sculpture.
You got the Rosie, the Riveters.
Uh, sculpture too.
So
yeah, I knew I was forgetting one and it's I'm glad you mentioned that because Rosie's moving.
Um, she's going to go off of Main Street.
She's going to go to the corner of Drummond in Jefferson where National Rivets main office is located, which is a very appropriate place for her to be.
Wow.
Anything else that you wanted to talk about today, Mr. Ma'am?
Uh, no, I think that's it.
Nice talking to you again.
I like checking in on my second favorite city in final act County and always glad to glad to talk to you, Bob.
You've been talking with Ron Bishop, who is the mayor of one pond.
Our guest this morning is Ron Bishop, who is the mayor of Wolfon.
Welcome, Mr. Mayor.
Hey Bob, how you doing
today?
Good, good.
Got my voting in last week.
I did the in-person absentee voting.
I knew it was going to be a busy day today, so.
But well, that's a nice thing about it when you vote early.
You don't have to try to remember if something comes up It's already in the bank and collecting just
as a yeah, I still like to do it today of elections But every once in a while, I'll do the absentee thing.
So anyway, yeah, just a reminder for folks to get out there and vote today, but All right, where do you want to start?
A lot of stuff going on and we'll pond lately Looking at your latest column
You had a couple of complaints you were looking into.
Soybeans generating a smell or more upon, or as some folks would say, the smell of money, right?
Yes, it's one of those things.
There's opinions all over the map.
One of the reasons I wrote the column is there's a couple of folks who are very upset about the order that is created by the roasting of the soybeans at the United Co-op facility.
And so I wrote, I had responded and said, well, I also have a lot of people who call me that really like the smell and other people who say it's the smell of money.
There's a wide variety of opinions.
And I don't think they believe me that people actually like the smell.
Well, if you read the comment section from that column a couple of weeks ago, there's a lot of opinions all over the map from people who hate the smell and are starting to move out of the city because of it, the people who love the smell, because it smells like popcorn, the people who look at it as a practical thing.
There's a given taking everything and it's the smell of money.
It's it's the largest tax contributing taxpayer in the community It's basically paying for the shaler drive extension So there's just there's a lot to it, but we have had meetings with united like they're aware of the situation I think there's ways we can at least Bring the smell down and if we can do that that would be a win-win
How is the shaler drive extension going?
It's under construction now.
I checked it out yesterday.
The water, the sewer lines were out there.
They started moving dirt.
I think once it goes, it's going to go pretty quick.
And along with the Shaylor Drive extension, we approved a second set of apartment complexes.
It'll be along Shaylor Drive.
And into the north of that, we have 49 single-family residential units coming into Wupon.
We have a housing development, some more apartments out there.
It's the growing part of the city.
WAPON has a housing shortage and anything we can do to help with the housing situation here.
We're trying to be pretty proactive and do it.
Okay, one of the other things that you commented on is the use of flock cameras in WAPON.
Some people are laboring under misapprehension about what they're actually being used for, but I'll let you comment on that.
Well, that's exactly right.
The flat camera takes a picture of a license plate, stores it, and it's like a server at the PD for 30 days, and then it gets deleted.
But law enforcement likes to have flat cameras because if there's a particular vehicle they're looking for and they have a good reason to be looking for the vehicle, they can enter in the license plate information and see if it hits on one of the flat cameras, and they have an idea where that car is.
There's misnomers and social media stuff out there that
We can hear what you're talking about.
We can't.
That it's scanning your phone.
It's not.
That we're hacking your Bluetooth.
We're not.
It's a $3,000 camera that takes pictures of license plates and stores it for 30 days.
That's all it is.
And I took a... I met with the police department yesterday.
They showed me the whole process on how to do a flock hit, if you will.
And you have to have a case number, a license plate, and you have to have a description as to why you're looking for the vehicle.
And that thing gets audited at least once a month by our detective.
So if anyone's using the system, they have to have a really good reason to do it.
It's just not true that we have staff looking at these.
I don't care how often you're going to Quick Chip or something.
The camera has been used to help in Wapan.
It's been used recently to help catch people who have burglarized the business in town.
And we also use it to help catch someone who was very suicidal and not in a good place.
Thanks to the hit on the flat camera, the Lopon PD found the man quicker and took him to get him some help and may have very much saved a life.
Also, just recently in the state of Ohio, they used a flat camera to find an eight-year-old kidnapped girl.
So there's a lot of upside to it.
I think people's concerns are valid in the sense we don't need big brother listening in on everything, but it's not how we're using it in Lopon.
We've got procedures in place.
And it's just another tool for law enforcement to help catch bad guys and keep people safe.
So in that sense, I'm all for it.
Okay.
Quite a few people from Wapan shipped in to provide relief for the people that were hit by the EF-3 tornado in Manashah.
Maybe you can tell us a little bit about that.
I know you had a couple of firefighters go there.
We did.
I think we had four.
I think four, it might have been six firefighters who went up the initial day of the storm because they needed ATV, UTV help because the streets were closed.
We had several crews from Waupon Utilities who were up there for over a week to help restore power.
Monash Utilities is a public power community just like Waupon and we try to help each other out.
And then a couple of local businesses were also up there helping with cleanup.
Both Wren's Nursery and Torres Tree Service had gone up.
to help, and it's just part of it was there was a WAPON connection.
A couple of friends of mine live on that island there that I got hit by the tornado.
Their house is still standing, but it took pretty much, it took some damage, but just two blocks from them, everything is gone.
So there was a little bit of a WAPON connection there, which is one of the reasons some local WAPON visitors were helping out, but it's kind of what you do in Wisconsin, you know, somebody has a
Storm rolled through their city and it's a mess.
Everyone outside is what they can do to pitch in and help out.
Life's short, we've got to help each other.
Yeah, I can recall walking through Waupon after a tornado went through there the earlier part of this century.
So no stranger to that kind of weather.
In my lifetime, I just turned 47 two days ago and I can remember two different tornadoes affecting Waupon pretty significantly, the one in 2004.
in the one in 2018.
Neither one of them that we have a massive tornado on the ground that destroyed the city, but both of them we had tornadoes in the area and strong winds and lots of damage.
So they're nothing to screw around with.
They're dangerous.
All right.
Well, Pond known as the city of sculptures, I believe some concrete was being poured at medium of fields for the latest addition.
Tell us about that, if you would please.
Yeah, so we've been adding to our sculpture collection, which is something that we're all really excited to be doing.
Because you're right, we are the city of sculpture and we're trying to capitalize off of that.
And so the latest one is out at Minima Field.
That's where the girl's softball complex is.
And it's a sculpture of Mamie Redmond, who is somewhat known from the movie A League of Their Own starring Tom Hanks.
And she was a professional female baseball player in that World War II era as is portrayed in the movie.
And so she's a Wopan native.
She was born here.
I think she's buried here too because I know they portrayed her at the cemetery walk in the past.
So that's the local connection because as we're adding sculptures, we're not just adding random pieces of art.
We want them to have something to do with Wopan or Wopan connections.
So we've added Manny Rendon, who was a professional baseball player.
She's in the Hall of Fame.
She was from Wopan.
We've added a girl flying a kite because
The Shaylor Company made a lot of money for a long time making tights, and so we're doing stuff like that to keep our momentum going as Wisconsin City of Sculpture.
You got the Rosie the Riveter Sculpture too, so.
Yeah, I knew I was forgetting one, and I'm glad you mentioned that because Rosie's moving.
She's going to go off of Main Street, she's going to go to the corner of Drummond in Jefferson where National Rivets Main Office is located.
which is a very appropriate place for her to be.
Wow.
Anything else that you wanted to talk about today, Mr.
Ma'am?
No, I think that's it.
Nice talking to you again.
I like checking in on my second favorite city in Final Act County and always glad to talk to you, Bob.
We've been talking with Ron Bishop, who is the mayor of Wampan.
W-R-P-N, the music you grew up with in Riffin.
Here's your Daily News Roundup.
Good morning, I'm Wayne Mouser for Civic Media News.
Voting will take place today for the partisan primary election.
Remember, it's a partisan primary, and you can only vote for members of one party.
Offices up for election include Congress, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Senate, and Assembly, along with County Sheriff and Clerk of Circuit Court.
If you're not registered to vote, you can do that at the polls, but you'll need ID and proof of residency.
Today's voting will narrow down the field of candidates for the November election.
polls open at 7 a.m.
and close at 8 p.m.
The city of Rippon recently received word it would be receiving a little over 1.6 million dollars through the state's local structure improvement program.
The money will allow for the full reconstruction of the Pacific Street Bridge.
City Administrator Adam Sontag said it's currently the city's lowest rated bridge and has been a concern for several years due to the deteriorating structural condition.
A portion of the bridge had to be closed a couple of years ago following an
accident that further impacted an already failing portion of the structure.
Rehabilitation of the bridge is no longer a practical option and full replacement is needed.
The total estimated cost of the project is $1.78 million.
The $1.6 million the city will receive is 90% of that cost with the city being responsible for the remaining 10%.
Sontag says the bridge replacement project will take place in 2027 or 2028.
As fall approaches, the renovation of the Ripon Public Library nears completion.
Bob Nelson reports for Civic Media News.
Children's librarian Linda DeCramer says they've targeted completion for the end of September, but staff will still have some work to do on the lower level.
That will include things like moving materials back to where they belong and painting walls.
Current renovation work includes upgrading bathrooms, HVAC, lighting, and improving windows.
efficiency.
The Kramer says if you haven't checked out the improvements that have already been made, it's worth seeing.
It's very welcoming for everyone.
It's comfortable.
It feels
Open and expansive and welcoming for everyone's
she says they will have a grand opening celebration But that will be sometime at the beginning of 2027 I'm pop Nelson for civic media news
the Monashia City Council unanimously approved the resolution Monday night for additional funding toward tornado cleanup as the cost of the July 27th EF3 tornado for the city approaches two million dollars the council met one week after passing several resolutions including
one declaring a local disaster and approving initial cleanup funding.
The total bill for storm repairs now exceeds $1.95 million surpassing previous estimates.
Tree removal has been one of the largest expenses.
The council approved an additional $350,000 for one vendor bringing that contracts total to $594,000.
The council also approved an additional $100,000 for waterway cleanup and more than $117,000.
and dollars to cover overtime expenses for city workers.
The city is awaiting a decision from the president on whether to approve FEMA funding, which the governor has requested.
In the meantime, the city is exploring bridge loan options.
Cyclosporiasis cases continue to rise in Wisconsin and throughout the U.S.
Wisconsin has seen more than 200 cases of the infection so far, according to the latest data published August 5th from the Wisconsin DHS.
That's a jump of more than 100 cases in two weeks.
Cyclospora cases in Wisconsin have reached 216, including five hospitalizations.
It's a jump from 160 cases on July 29th
and 105 cases a week before that.
The 115th Fighter Wing of the Wisconsin Air National Guard will be conducting evening training flights through this Thursday and Monday through Friday of next week.
During this time, area residents may see or hear F-35 aircraft taking off or landing until approximately 10.30 p.m.
Training flights normally take place during the daylight hours, but pilots and maintenance personnel are required to conduct nighttime operations as part of their overall readiness.
Pilots will continue to follow flight paths
designed to minimize noise to area residents.
Benjamin Crummanauer has been appointed as director of administrative services and organizational effectiveness for the city of Oshkosh.
He brings nearly two decades of municipal experience, including the past 10 years serving as chief administrative officer in Wisconsin local government.
He currently serves as village administrator for the village of Bellevue and held similar roles with the village of Osceola and town of Algoma.
Earlier in his career, he held several positions with the city of Oshkosh.
As director of administrative services and organizational effectiveness, he'll serve as a key member of the city's executive leadership team.
SSM Health is investing in the health and well-being of local youth through a $5,000 community health gift to Reach WAPON.
The funding will support Reach WAPON's efforts to reduce barriers that prevent children and families from accessing resources, educational opportunities, and health activities.
Reach WAPON serves more than 430 youth annually through programs that address social determinants of health and improve outcomes for children and families in the
upon area.
The gift is part of SSM Health's ongoing commitment to improving community health and supporting organizations that address local needs.
I'm Wayne Mauser for Civic Media News.
For Civic Media News, I'm Melissa Kay.
Today is primary election day in Wisconsin and the DMV is staying open late for voters who need an ID.
Service centers will remain open until 6 p.m.
to help people get a Wisconsin ID card.
Voters should bring any documents they have, including proof of identity and Wisconsin residency.
The state says a photo ID can be sent overnight and voters may have the option of casting a provisional ballot while they wait.
To see your ballot and where you can vote, check out myvote.wi.gov.
Gas prices fell 10.9 cents per gallon over the last week, landing at an average of 387 on Monday.
This is 14.9 cents higher than a month ago and well over 97 cents per gallon higher than this time last year.
The national average price of diesel decreased 5.1 cents compared to last week for an average of $5.27 per gallon.
Officials at Gasbuddy say that while gasoline prices declined in 47 states over the last week, the wild ride will continue.
Iran is pushing back against reopening the Strait of Hormuz, causing oil prices to edge up in Sunday night trading.
Gasbuddy officials say if the Strait remains closed, upward pressure on fuel prices could quickly return.
If the geopolitical situation deteriorates, the national average could climb to its highest level ever recorded this late in the calendar year.
Evening training flights will take place this week and next for the 115th Fighter Wing of the Wisconsin Air National Guard.
The F-35 aircraft will be training until approximately 10.30pm, August 10th through the 13th, and August 17th through the 20th.
Those near Truick's Field at the Dane County Regional Airport in Madison may hear them taking off or landing until approximately 10.30pm.
Today's primary will set the stage for November, starting with the race to replace retiring Governor Tony Evers.
Four Democrats remain active in the contest, Francesca Hong, David Crowley, Joel Brennan, and Kelderoyes.
Republicans are widely expected to nominate Congressman Tom Tiffany.
Several congressional primaries are also on the ballot, including a competitive Democratic fight in the Third District.
The winner will move on to face Republican Congressman Derek Van Orden.
The 7th congressional district race is for an open seat after incumbent Tom Tiffany decided to run for governor.
State officials say voters who still need an ID can get one for free today at DMV offices.
They're staying open until 6 p.m.
To see your ballot and where you can vote, check out myvote.wi.gov.
Money is being approved to resurface Wisconsin Highway 89 between Fort Atkinson and Jefferson.
Governor Tony Evers approved the nearly $2 million contract to improve what was described as a deteriorating portion of the four and a half mile area.
Officials noted traffic will be detoured during construction to portions of U.S.
Highways 12 and 18 as well as Wisconsin Highway 26.
Crews are expected to complete the project by October.
Sections of the North Shore parking lot at Devil's Lake State Park will be closed this month for reconstruction.
The Wisconsin DNR announced the project will improve existing parking lots, install standard lighting, and add a universal kayak launch.
Parking lot reconstruction begins in early August and is estimated to be completed in spring of 2027.
Most areas will remain open, but there will be limited parking.
The North Shore Chateau and Rock Elm Shelter will temporarily close for access in late 2026 for short-term renovations.
And that's your state news update.
I'm Melissa Kaye for Civic Media News.
It's the Brewers and the Padres.
Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with sports where it's game two of the Brewers in San Diego tonight.
Last night the crew had a two-to-one lead when Logan Henderson left a change-up over the plate and Jackson Merrill smacked it over the center field wall for a three-to-two Padres victory.
did they leave Henderson in a little too long?
Pat Murphy.
He was out of gas,
but we didn't really have a loaded bullpen, obviously, with our three leverage arms out.
We didn't think we had coverage, good leverage coverage for three, and he still was, his pitches were under control, so he did fine.
We just didn't want Meryl to beat us.
He's so hot lately, and, you know, William called for that pitch down and away.
You know, he missed over the plate with it, so it's unfortunate.
College hockey, five members of the Badgers women's hockey team have been selected led by Cassie Hall to represent Team USA in Canada's select series tournament going on this week in British Columbia with sports on Mike Clemens.
Partly cloudy today.
We'll get to around 82 for a high this afternoon tonight.
Scattered showers, thunderstorms with a low in the upper fifties to low sixties tomorrow.
Partly cloudy, scattered thunderstorms with a high right around 80.
I'm meteorologist Sean Cable.
That's your Rippin' News Roundup from WRPN, the music you grew up with.
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